-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sanford , Florida , city officials have chosen a former Colorado police chief as an interim replacement for the top cop who stepped aside during the furor over February 's killing of an unarmed teen .

Richard Myers , the former police chief in Colorado Springs , will take office in Sanford at the end of the week , the city government announced Tuesday . A news conference to introduce Myers is slated for Friday . He will take over a department that has been under the microscope since the February 26 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer .

Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee , who attempted to resign last week , will remain on paid administrative leave , according to a statement from city hall . Lee stepped aside as chief after a vote of no-confidence by city commissioners , but the commission voted against accepting his resignation while investigations into Martin 's killing are pending .

The case drew nationwide protests when police decided against arresting neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman , who told investigators he killed Martin in self-defense . A special prosecutor assigned to look into Martin 's death ultimately brought second-degree murder charges against 28-year-old Zimmerman , who has pleaded not guilty and been released on $ 150,000 bail .

Prosecutors asked for that bail to be increased after learning that contributors had donated more than $ 200,000 to a legal defense fund he set up . About $ 5,000 of that went toward the $ 15,000 cash Zimmerman put up to post bond , defense lawyer Mark O'Mara said last week .

Zimmerman has been in hiding since the case drew national attention , and he has solicited the money not only for legal fees but also for living expenses . O'Mara said the money has been put into a trust he controls , and his team announced Tuesday that a former IRS agent has been hired as a third-party administrator to handle the funds .

`` The fund 's administrator will have sole discretion regarding the dispersal of funds , and guidelines will be put in place to define reasonable living expenses for Mr. Zimmerman and his family and to fund necessary legal expenses , '' the defense team reported on its website . `` Neither Mr. Zimmerman nor The O'Mara Law Group will have direct access to the funds . ''

Donors ' names are not being disclosed .

For the next three to five months , Myers `` will be responsible for reviewing Sanford Police Department 's performance as it relates to the Trayvon Martin case as well as provide overall leadership , '' according to Colorado Springs police department spokeswoman Barbara Miller .

Myers , a 35-year law enforcement veteran , began his career in the suburbs of Detroit and Chicago before becoming chief of the Appleton , Wisconsin , police department . After that , he took the reins of the Colorado Springs police department in 2007 .

Myers resigned that post in 2011 after Stephen Bach was elected as the city 's new mayor . It was widely reported that the new mayor forced Myers out , and a press release from Myers upon his retirement in October seemed to bear that out .

`` When Mayor Bach was elected , I told him I was here to serve , and would do so loyally and do my best to lead the department in the direction he wanted to take the city , until such time that he felt he needed to bring in his own chief , '' the release from Myers stated . `` Consequently , I have agreed to make room for this to happen by retiring from the CSPD . ''

Attempts to contact Myers for this report were unsuccessful . A month ago , he was asked to consider the role of interim police chief in Sanford , according to Miller .

She said she believes Myers is well-suited to what is bound to be a challenging , high-pressure assignment in Sanford .

`` Chief Richard Myers is a highly intelligent leader with a great law enforcement background who is skilled at analyzing problems and articulating sound recommendations for positive change , '' she said . `` He will bring a unique understanding and clarity to the situation -- as he has always done . We are excited to hear about his new role . ''

Earlier this year , Myers served a three-month term as interim chief of police in Manitou Springs , a small community outside Colorado Springs .

`` I 'm a big fan of Richard Myers . He really did a fabulous job here , '' said Manitou Springs Mayor Marc Snyder .

`` He 's really going to be able to focus in on the existing situation and build a consensus on the right way to go . I think Richard will be uniquely qualified to find the commonalities in this community and rally them around a common thread . ''

Myers ' time in Colorado Springs ended with a controversy surrounding an undercover sting operation at a Hooters restaurant .

In June 2011 , a pair of undercover detectives and an underage informant entered a Hooters restaurant to check to see if the employees there were properly checking for identification when serving alcohol . That Hooters had previously been cited for serving minors .

The restaurant refused to serve the underage informant but the detectives said they witnessed a waitress continue to serve a pair of intoxicated patrons . The detectives left and the restaurant and the waitress later were cited for serving intoxicated patrons .

It later emerged that the detectives had ordered beer and drank at least part of the beer while at the restaurant , and surveillance camera footage of the patrons who were reported to be intoxicated was inconclusive . The charges against Hooters and the waitress were dropped .

Chief Myers and the newly elected mayor , Stephen Bach , asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to launch an investigation . Their report cleared the Colorado Springs Police Department of any wrongdoing , finding that the officers followed all appropriate procedures .

The Colorado Springs Gazette and other media reported that Myers dismissed any notion that the Hooter 's controversy played a part in his retirement in a Facebook post .

`` For those who have assumed that the controversy about a case at a local Hooter 's restaurant was responsible for my retirement , I can easily dismiss that one , '' Myers reportedly wrote . `` Day in and day out , the Office of the Chief deals with so many sensitive issues , whether personnel related , crimes , public policy , fiscal ... this one does n't even register on the Richter scale . ''

CNN 's Jim Spellman in Denver contributed to this report

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Colorado Springs veteran Richard Myers steps in as Sanford 's interim chief

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Myers , a 35-year veteran , is expected to serve for three to five months

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Sanford chief Bill Lee stays on administrative leave , the city says

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Sanford police have been under a microscope since the killing of Trayvon Martin